Government vs Inter-African Human Rights Union

Burkina Faso's government says it revoked a 1995 agreement granting diplomatic privileges to the Inter-African Human Rights Union (UIDH) because the UIDH's president engaged in political activities incompatible with its status, a charge he has rejected. According to Foreign Minister Youssouf Ouedraogo, "the immunities granted to the UIDH were similar to those granted to heads of diplomatic missions", including tax and customs-duty exemptions, and protection of its personnel. "Granting immunity ... implies the imposition of several constraints, such as refraining from participating in political activities...," the foreign minister said on Tuesday on state radio. "Unfortunately, the UIDH president did not stick to these constraints, and this is the reason for the government's decision to cancel the agreement." The UIDH, formed in 1992, links 41 human rights organisations in 39 African nations. Its president, Halidou Ouedraogo, heads the Mouvement burkinabe des droits de l'Homme et du peuple (MBDHP), Burkina Faso's main rights watchdog.. Halidou Ouedraogo also chairs a 'collectif' (group) of lawyers, journalists, civil society organisations and opposition parties that has been pressing for the death of independent journalist Norbert Zongo to be clarified and his killers brought to justice. Zongo had been investigating the killing of the chauffeur of President Blaise Compaore's brother, blamed on presidential guardsmen. Late last year, the journalist's charred body was found in his car along with three other corpses, news organisations reported. Criticising the revocation of the agreement, Halidou Ouedraogo said the UIDH had denounced the genocide in Rwanda and other abuses so he did not see why it should not be involved in the Zongo issue. The measure, he told IRIN from Ouagadougou, "will not prevent the UIDH from continuing its work. However, we realise that in Africa, how democracy and human rights function is not always understood." Halidou Ouedraogo said the government had given the UIDH 60 days to appeal against the measure, which it intended to do. He added that, if the government stuck to its decision, the Union would appeal to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)'s court of arbitration.